B. T. Collins
Brien Thomas "B. T." Collins (October 17, 1940 – March 19, 1993) was an American politician from California and a member of the Republican party. Early years Born in New York City, New York on October 17, 1940, Collins served as a Green Beret Captain during the Vietnam War and lost his right arm and right leg to a grenade attack in 1967. Upon returning to the United States, Collins enrolled at Santa Clara University, earning a B.A. in 1970 and a J.D. in 1973. Executive branch In 1979, Collins was appointed by Democratic Governor Jerry Brown as Director of the California Conservation Corps. During his California Conservation Corps service, Collins gained notoriety for drinking a beaker of malathion to demonstrate his belief that it was safe. Although a liberal Democrat, Brown nevertheless appointed the conservative Republican Collins to replace Gray Davis as his chief of staff, a position Collins held until Brown left office in 1983. Collins served as chief deputy to Republican California State Treasurer Tom Hayes from 1989 until 1991, when Hayes left office and Republican Governor Pete Wilson appointed him as director of the California Youth Authority. State Assembly After Sacramento-area Republican Tim Leslie won a special election to the California State Senate to replace John Doolittle, who had been elected to Congress, Wilson encouraged Collins to run for Leslie's vacant seat in the State Assembly. Collins won a special election that September for the Sacramento-area 5th District against fellow Republican Barbara Alby, and narrowly beat her again in the 1992 GOP primary. Death Collins died of a sudden heart attack March 19, 1993 in Sacramento while serving his second term in the State Assembly. Alby won the special election to replace him. Several sites in Sacramento have been renamed in his honor. When the Sacramento Army Depot was redesignated as an Army Reserve Center in the mid-1990s, it was renamed the B.T. Collins Army Reserve Center. There is also a park in the City of Folsom named the B.T. Collins City Park located at 828 Willow Creek Dr, Folsom, CA. The men's restroom in the Santa Clara University School of Law library was named the "B.T. Collins Memorial Latrine" in his honor; it features a plaque over the urinal with a quote from Collins: "If it ain’t in Gilbert's, it ain't the Law." Electoral history {| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em ; font-size:95%" |+ Member, California State Assembly: 1991-1993 !|Year !|Office ! !|Democrat !|Votes !|Pct ! !|Republican !|Votes !|Pct ! |- |1991 |California State Assembly District 5 (Special Election) | | |none | align="right" | | | | | |'B.T. Collins' 50.2% Barbara Alby 49.8% | align="right" |19,785 | |62.1% | | |David McCann | align="right" |12,091 | |37.9% | |- |1992 |California State Assembly District 5 | | |Joan Barry 65% Jack Robbins 35% | align="right" |65,787 | |41.2% | | |'B.T. Collins' 52% Barbara Alby 48% | align="right" |93,833 | |58.8% | References Further reading * External links * B.T. Collins candidate information at JoinCalifornia.com * B.T. Collins Scholarship official site * B.T. Collins "Captain Hook" Scholarship at Santa Clara University School of Law * Category:1940 births Category:1993 deaths Category:Members of the California State Assembly Category:California Republicans Category:American amputees Category:Politicians with physical disabilities Category:American military personnel of the Vietnam War Category:Members of the Special Forces of the United States Category:Santa Clara University alumni Category:Deaths from myocardial infarction